


BMBL3 - Lingering Apathy

by ManlyQuail



Series: Bumblebee [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bumblebee - Freeform, Bumbleby - Freeform, Cold Weather, Drama & Romance, Drinking & Talking, Drinking to Cope, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-17 02:00:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16965588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManlyQuail/pseuds/ManlyQuail
Summary: Leaving the farming village that had been infested with the Grimm known as "Apathy", Team RWBY as well as Qrow, Oscar, and Maria, find themselves short on supplies, and in need of a place to rest for the night. They're only a days away from Argus, but the team is exhausted and in desperate need of rest. Tensions are high and emotions are somewhat problematic due to lingering effects of the Apathy on members of the team. Even if they've gotten most of their willpower back, events that occurred under the Grimm's influence have also left a lasting impression on each of them. Struggling to deal with more bad news every day, everyone finds a different way to cope and keep themselves calm in this unfamiliar territory, some worst than others.





	BMBL3 - Lingering Apathy

“Alright kids, looks like this is our stop. Go ahead and pull in next to that building there Yang.” From his seated position in the trailer, Qrow Branwen pointed towards the village as it came into view beyond the trees. There were several sizable structures, with a particularly large one near the center of town. Wooden and untouched, there was a general sense of uneasiness as the group pulled into town.

Yang Xiao-Long slowed her motorcycle Bumblebee to a standstill in front of the indicated building. Turning the key to shut off the bike, she swung her leg over the side to hop off. She turned to the rest of the group that’d she’d been transporting, each of them looking tired and somewhat depressed. Even her sister Ruby Rose seemed like her spirits were low, a rare circumstance that only spoke to the times they found themselves in.

Her eyes glanced from person to person, looking over the condition they were in, observing their expressions, doing her best not to let her own feelings show through. It felt like the effects of the Apathy they’d encountered in the village prior were lingering, such prolonged exposure to a number of the Grimm had left a lasting impression.

“I’ll have you know I’m at least twice your age! Don’t bunch me up with the kids like I’m some youngin.” Maria Calavera, the newest addition to the group due to the circumstances, jabbed at Qrow with her walking stick before hopping down from the trailer. Adjusting her goggles, the diminutive woman stared at the village and let out a huff.

“It looks abandoned, just like the last one.” Blake Belladonna frowned, her feline ears drooping as she looking between doors that banged open with the wind. Skittishly she kept a hand on her weapon as the group slowly approached the building they’d stopped in front of. The last village they’d left only a few days ago had shown similar features. Abandoned buildings, but no sign of an attack.

“This one is different. All the doors are open, and there’s no sign of vehicles outside either. Whoever was here left a long time ago.” Qrow stepped in towards the building, gripping onto one of the doors to keep it from continuously banging open against the wall. “My guess is people are trying to get out of the more outlying villages, get closer to Argus and Atlas. Safer than way.”

“Well then let’s get comfortable and take a look around. My guess is that this building use to serve as an inn, maybe there’s still some food.” Stepping up and into the structure, Maria thanked Qrow for holding the door open before kicking her boots on the wooden floors to avoid tracking in snow.

“Food! Did she say there’s food in there!?” Ruby perked up, a flurry of rose petals blasting through the door immediately behind Maria as she rushed inside.

“Ruby, she said their  _ might _ be food. We have to look around but it’s likely if they were looking to move to the bigger cities they’d have taken as many supplies as possible to get there.” Weiss Schnee, adorn in a thin pale blue dress and a red scarf wrapped around her neck,  chased in after Ruby. Part of her simply wanted to get out of the cold, and another was as hopeful as Ruby that they’d be able to find at least something to make a meal out of inside. 

“Alright you guys hurry up. I want to check this place  _ thoroughly  _ this time  before we settle down, and we’re not gonna find anything standing around in the snow.” Qrow couldn’t help but rub his hands along his arms as he ushered Blake, Yang, and Oscar to follow in behind. Oscar Pine, the youngest of the group, also seemed to be the one struggling the most.

“Come on, he’s right.” Yang put a hand on Oscar’s shoulder, and he seemed startled for a moment before nodding and hurrying inside. Qrow shut the door behind them, the breeze of the winter air outside cutting off abruptly.

“Food! Where’s the food!?” A rush of petals constantly shot back and forth between the building, moving from table to table, behind the bar, and up the stairs to check the rooms. After a few minutes of dashing around, Ruby started to slow down, struggling to walk as she whispered quietly for food.

“Ruby, calm down, you don’t have the energy to spend running around like this.” Weiss came to Ruby’s side, helping her keep standing as she moved her to a table to sit.

“Weiss is right Sis. We can’t afford to spend what little energy we have right now. If more Grimm show up, we need to be rested and ready.” Yang sat across from Ruby and Weiss as the rest of the group searched through the inn.

“Well, there’s plenty of cans, but I can’t promise many of these aren’t spoiled.” From behind the counter at the bar, Maria started to stack up a variety of canned fruits and other foods onto the wooden surface above. Qrow looked through them with a frown, sliding them down one the table one at a time as he divided what was good from what was spoiled.

“We’ll just have to make do with what we have. I’ll go out and check some of the other buildings, see if I can’t bring anything back.” Oscar made his way back to the front door, Blake following close behind.

“I’ll go with you. It’s not much but at least my nose can sniff out what’s good and what’s bad before we haul it back.” Oscar nodded as Blake stared back at the table where Yang, Ruby, and Weiss were sitting. Her eyes glanced to Yang’s for a moment, but Yang looked away. Her heart sank, and she set out back into the snow along Oscar.

“I’m going to do my own bit of scouting around. We can’t be too careful, there could be bandits set up somewhere in town, or even Grimm that wandered here from the farmhouse. Those Apathy had to come from somewhere, better safe than sorry.” Qrow twisted the cap off his flask and lifted it to drink it, before shaking it and groaning. Closing the flask again, Qrow muttered to himself as the door to the Inn let in a brief winter chill, before snapping shut again.

“Great, leave me in charge of the kids while you go look for more booze. Wonderful example he makes.” Maria’s goggles made a series of clicks, and Yang could only assume she was attempting to roll her eyes, before the elderly woman made her way to the fireplace. Shakily she crouched down to dust off some snow that had blown in.

“About what you said, back on the road. You know about my sister’s abilities?” Yang glanced across to the exhausted Ruby, who lifted her head at the mention of her name. Even Weiss seemed intrigued, and the three stared back at Maria, who shook her head and let out a huff.

“I have quite the story I can spin for you children, but first things first, survival. It won’t do any good to share my story if your minds can only think of food.” Standing back up, Maria used her walking stick to roll the logs out of the fireplace before glancing back to Yang and Weiss for a few moments. The pair just stared back, as if waiting for something, before Maria sighed. “Well hope an old lady out! I need you two to try and find some firewood. Everything in here is damp from the snow. I’m sure if you look around there’s likely some wood being stored somewhere, perhaps the basement.”

Weiss shuddered, but not from the cold, as her eyes glanced towards a door behind the bar that would lead them into the cellar.

“Alright alright, we’re going already. Sheesh.” Yang pushed out her seat and stood, walking over to the bar with Weiss hesitantly following close behind. The girl maintained a steady grip around her rapier Myrtenaster that only tightened as the door swung open. The tip of the weapon glowed bright as fire dust ignited across the polished metal, and the stairs illuminated as they descended.

The cellar was roomy, but relatively empty. Shelves that had once contained food were now all but bare, a few smashed jars and such lining the floor as they walked. Eventually the light of the fire revealed a pile of lumber up to the ceiling along the wall, and Yang quickly took a pile of logs beneath her arm.

“Well at least we won’t be at risk of freezing any time soon.” Weiss smiled, trying to make light of their situation, but Yang walked past her without a hint of joy. The pair ascended back to the Inn, where Yang started to toss the wood haphazardly beside the fire.

“Ah, perfect.” Maria lifted a piece of the wood to inspect it, satisfied that it would serve its purpose before gesturing Weiss over, the tip of her weapon still aglow. “Could you help me with this dear, just hold the flame against the log till it ignites and then we can start piling in a little more wood.”

Weiss nodded and crouched down beside the fireplace, the sharpened end of her weapon aflame as it rested gently against the log. The wood began to darken, turning black from the heat, before the blaze spread outwards from the contact. Quickly a fire began to eat away at the log in the fireplace. Satisfied, Weiss stood and with a quick flick of her wrist, her weapon extinguished itself.

Crouching down, Weiss helped Maria feed a few more logs into the fireplace, while Yang continued to move the stockpile from the cellar to more accessible location.

“Fire…” Ruby stood and slowly shambled over to the flames before sliding down onto the floor, and sitting with a small and tired grin.

“Yes fire, but don’t get too close. It keeps you warm from a distance but the smallest little ember drifting in your direction and you’re little red dress is going to get a whole lot warmer.” Maria attempted to scoot Ruby back from the flames with her stick.

“Combat sk… never mind.” Ruby was too exhausted to argue, and scooting back, she sat and stared at the flames, wobbling sleepily from side to side.

“We’ll get everyone warm and fed, and then it’s off to bed for the lot of you.” Maria made her way back to the bar, climbing up on one of the stools to dig through the cupboards for any dining ware that had been left behind.

“You’re not our mother you know, and it’s not like you can just order us off to bed whenever you feel like it.” Yang dumped a final pile of logs down before glaring at Maria, her mood seeming to only grow more and more sour. “We can take care of ourselves.”

“Ha, hardly.” Maria laughed and Yang’s lip curled a little. “I’ve been around, and believe me when I say I’ve seen plenty of dysfunctional groups in my time. Your team has three different people trying to lead it. One of them is a drunk, one of them has locked himself away in the mind of a child, and the third  _ is _ a child.” Maria pointed her cane in the direction of Ruby who was too tired to protest.

“So what, you have no idea what we’ve been through together. We’ve handled worst things than a little bit of snow.” Yang continued to glare at Maria, who simply shook her head as she started to undo the caps a few of the cans and jars, filling a few bowls with a variety of fruits that hadn’t yet expired.

“I have no doubt on your adventures you’ve had plenty of time catching criminals and fighting the Grimm, but if I’d have to guess I’d say most of your victories have been more luck based than anything. Someone coming in to rescue you at the last moment, or simply being in the right place at the right time.” Sliding the a bowl down from the table, Maria crossed the room towards Yang, lifting it up into the air to offer it to her.

“That’s not always true, we got this far because we worked as a team. We make plans and we follow through, together.” Yang stared down at the bowl, taking it, but setting it on a table close to her.

“Plans eh? It sounds like you’re all travelling without a plan. I was there, you know. I saw the same vision you did, saw the same way Qrow reacted, how  _ you _ reacted. Don’t try and convince me that your group is still a team when I doubt even you yourself believe it.” Maria grabbed another bowl of fruit, stepping across the room to crouch in front of Ruby and offer her some food.

Ruby seemed like she was almost in a trance as she gazed at the fire. Her nose twitched as the bowl of food hovered in front of her, and she snapped to reality.

“Oh my goodness thank you!” Without a moment of hesitation, Ruby’s hands were in the bowl, scarfing down as much of the food as she could. Maria laughed and turned back to the table to retrieve another bowl, but Weiss had already crossed the room to pick up two of the remaining bowls. With a nod to Maria, who let out a tired sigh, they walked over to a table near the fire and sat down to eat.

Yang wasn’t finished however, and remained standing as she glared at Maria, her food untouched.

“You shouldn’t even  _ be _ here. If you’d just stayed with the rest of the passengers on that train…”

“Then what? If it wasn’t for me the lot of you would still be at that farm. That relic would be lost in some well, and you’d all end up  _ just _ like that family. Face it, bumping into me was the luckiest thing to happen to you all, even if it might’ve been the unluckiest for me. Now sit down, shut up, and eat. Any more negativity and the Grimm will be here in troves.” Maria glared, her goggles squinting at Yang, before she started to take a few bites of the fruit in the bowl in front of her.

Yang looked to Weiss for any assistance, any sign that she was in the right here, but Weiss merely kept her head down and ate in silence. Glancing over at Ruby, Yang watched as her younger sister was more focused on the food than anything else, and she let out a defeated sigh.

Taking a seat on her own, Yang sat and stared at the fruit for several minutes before taking a bite. It wasn’t the sweetest fruit, and she felt more pissed off than hungry, but Yang knew she needed to eat to keep up her strength, and forced herself to take a few more bites.

The door swung open with a rush of cool air, Ruby letting out a shriek at the wind lapped at her back, and she scooted along the floor to get closer to the fire. Oscar and Blake came in with handfuls of more canned goods, Qrow right behind them with a few bottles of amber liquid.

“Alright everyone, get cozy.” Qrow swung the door behind them shut with his foot before approaching the bar with Blake and Oscar.

“There’s a few bowls laid out already, help yourselves. It’s not the tastiest fruit I’ll admit but it’s better than nothing.” Maria gestured to the bowls at the end of the counter that she’d prepared prior, to which Blake and Oscar eagerly took and sat with Weiss and Maria. Blake gave another look to Yang, who was instead staring down at her food paying the faunus girl no mind.

“Well, while your have a buffet of fruit, I think I’ll help myself. The people of this village had good taste, shame to let it go to waste.” The bottle clinked together as Qrow set them around across bar, turning a few of them to scan across the label before hopping over the table to look for glasses. With a grin, he set out a few wooden mugs and poured out some of the liquid, giving in a steady sniff followed by a swig.

“Uncle Qrow, is that smart? I mean, back in the last village…” Ruby’s attention turned to Qrow, her bowl of food already empty, and her eyes worried.

“Back at the village I acted that way because of the Grimm, okay Ruby? You know me, I can handle myself, trust me.” Qrow gave a forced smile to Ruby, who didn’t seem convinced.

“She’s right, we should do our best to try and stay level headed and sober for this. We’ve had a rough few days and…” Oscar spoke up, his voice a little mumbled, before Qrow just rolled his eyes.

“Listen, if I want to drink, I’m going to drink. My entire life has been lived for the man hiding away in your head, and as it turns out, he’s just been leading me along the entire time!” Qrow raised the glass in the air as his voice started to raise in volume. “We have no plan, no allies, and at this point we barely have enough food to get by until the next abandoned village we come across. If there was ever a time to drink, it’s now, so I’m going to drink.”

Ruby stood and started to approach Qrow, when Maria shot out her cane to stop her. It was strange to see Ruby look angry, especially at Qrow of all people, and even Yang watched to see what would happen next, but Maria just shook her head.

“It’s his way of coping, it’s been a long week for everyone. Better drunk and numb than depressed or angry, at least it won’t attract the Grimm. We have enough of that going on as it is.” Maria’s eyes followed down Ruby to the lamp around her waist. “Let’s go find somewhere else to eat, I want to tell you kids a story.”

Maria slid down from her seat and motioned for them to follow. Qrow waved them off with his mug as Weiss, Ruby, and Oscar followed behind her. Blake stood to follow, but her eyes fell on Yang who hadn’t budged. She sat back down, unsure of where she needed to be right now.

“Come here Yang, have a drink with your Uncle. I doubt you’ve had the chance, and I don’t see Tai or Raven as the type to share a drink with their kid.” Qrow gestured for Yang to join him with a grin as he took another swig of his drink.

“Qrow, we’re hardly old enough to-” Blake went to object, but Qrow cut her off.

“Old enough to what? Put your lives on the line for a man who spent his entire life lying to you? To fight of creatures that feed on your fear and would gladly rip you to shreds without a second thought? Don’t bullshit me. After all you kids have been through a little booze is the least of your problems.” Qrow shook his head at Blake, before turning to Yang for her response.

“Yang you don’t…”

“Alright, sounds good.” Yang stood, her face flat, and walked over to take a seat across from Qrow. His expression was a mix of surprise and joy as he took another mug from the shelf and looked between the liquors.

“Yang what are you doing?” Blake’s voice rang with concern as she stood up again and watched Yang as Qrow poured her a drink. Yang’s face turned somber, her mind playing over the decision she was making, before she picked it up and down the drink in one gulp. Her face turned sour, her eyes closed as the less than pleasant flavor coated her tongue, before she nodded to Qrow for a second.

“You heard Maria. Better numb and drunk than pissed or depressed and sober. This is my best way to  _ protect _ everyone.” The venom in her voice was apparent, and Blake shrank back down into her seat, a growing depression rising inside of her as the seconds ticked by.

“That’s the spirit.” Qrow pat Yang on the back with a grin, but she just stared coldly back and took another drink, and another. The encouraging mood Qrow had been in rapidly started to fade, and even in his tipsy state, he could tell something wasn’t quite right. “Alright, maybe slow down a little bit.”

Yang slammed down another glass and snatched the bottle away from Qrow to pour herself another drink, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Let go of me Qrow.” Her eyes narrowed, her hair glowing slightly with the flare of her temper. Qrow simply frowned and tilted his head.

“Listen Yang, there’s drinking to feel better and then there’s drinking to try and make yourself sick. I know the difference and you’re on the road to feeling worst than ever.” Yang rolled her eyes in response.

“You of all people has no right to try and lecture me about drinking. You think you’re miserable, think about how I feel, how we all feel! I signed up to be a Huntress to help the people, to spend time with my friends, see the world, and for the adrenaline rush of excitement I get going toe to toe with the Grimm.” Yang yanked her arm away from Qrow before taking another swig. Slamming the glass down, she stared down at it as silence filled the room.

Blake lifted her head, her eyes welling up as she watching Yang squeeze the glass tight. She felt guilty, like this was all her fault for offering to protect Yang back in the other village. She didn’t expect it to have this kind of effect at all.

“I did this because I thought it’s what I was good at, that I could make a difference, but look at me.” Yang lifted her robotic arm, flexing the fingers and twisting it as she stared at it in frustration. “I lost an arm, I lost my friends, and I basically lost my mother. If I want to take a few minutes to drown my sorrows, to make the weight of the world disappear for even a little, I’m going to do it. Like you said Qrow, if there was ever a time to drink, this is it.” 

Yang glared back at Qrow as she poured another drinking, as if testing him to see if he would try to stop her again, but he just shook his head and took another taste of his own.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Yang chuckled sarcastically before the only sound that could be heard was their drinking.

Blake sat watching, feeling guilt, feeling hurt that Yang was acting like this when all she’d wanted to do was help. Yang, and even Weiss and Ruby, had spent so much time offering to help her, to protect her with all the issues she’d been taking on, and she’d turned and ran every time to keep them from getting involved. After all the time spent away, the time with Sun and gathering the faunus of Menagerie, Blake finally understood what it means to protect people and be protected. To stand side by side with the people you love, and fight.

It was strange looking in from the other side. To see the person that wanted to shoulder the burdens of the world being told that someone would protect them. It was wrong how Yang was reacting, this whole situation was wrong, but what could she do about it?

Standing up, Blake crossed over and sat in a stool beside Yang. She saw the girl’s eyes flicker to her for just a moment, before returning to the mug in silence.

“Get me a mug please.” Qrow and Yang both looked at Blake in surprise, and she blushed as she repeated herself, attempting to sound a tad more confident. “If there was ever a time, right?”

They both looked unconvinced, but Qrow shrugged and pulled out another mug, sliding it across the table to Blake along with a glass of clear liquid. The pair of them watch the faunus girl as she undoes the top of the bottle and sniffs it, her sensitive nose twitching as she makes a sour face before pouring a sizable amount of the liquid into her mug.

With a deep breath to mentally prepare herself, Blake takes a hefty gulp of the drink, almost choking on it as her body immediately tries to spit it out at the same time she tries to swallow. Qrow and Yang don’t make a move to do anything, simply looking amused at Blake’s inability to take a drink. Qrow laughs lightly as he raises a hand to reach for a different bottle.

“Maybe we start you off with something a little tamer…” Blake immediately shook her head and took another drink, a shiver going through her body as she let out a gasp after downing some more. “Or not…”

Silence returned to the room, the sound of the crackling fire and drinks being poured was the only thing the three could hear. They let themselves drink, to let the alcohol course through them, muddying their senses, dulling their emotions, and perhaps even letting them feel somewhat content. Blake eventually broke the silence, a small laugh as she stared down at her mug.

“It’s funny, I always pictured myself having my first drink with my Father. Somewhere back on Menagerie, maybe celebrating my birthday, or some sort of festival.” Blake grinned to herself as she thought about what could have been a happier time.

“Well, don’t tell him about this little pow wow we’re having. I won’t lie, I think the idea of pissing off Ghira scares me just a little bit more than Salem does.” Qrow smiled a little as Blake looked up, the tension easing up just a little.

“No kidding, did you see him talking to Sun when we started to leave Haven? I thought he was gonna snap him in half with the way he was looking at him.” Yang cracked the faintest hint of a smile, and the mood shifted dramatically as they all continued to drink away the struggle of the past few months.

Yang reached for the bottle she’d been pouring for herself most of the night, when Qrow reached out to stop her for a second time. Her eyes snapped to him, but his expression was soft.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t a lecture about drinking away your problems, more like some advice about hangovers.” Qrow took the bottle from Yang, who chose not to resist this time, and glanced at the remaining contents as they swirled around in the glass container. “I advise the two of you get some water and maybe a little more food in your stomachs before you turn me. I myself, as a professional alcoholic, will be finishing this up in a room and passing out before Ruby has the chance to try and yell at me again.”

Qrow heaved himself back across the bar and whistled a tune to himself as the wood boards creaked beneath his feat. Ascending a set of stairs, the whistling became more and more faint, until the pair heard a door close, and silence returned. The pair stared at the table for a long while, each unsure of what to say to the other. Still, neither wanted the tension that had been hanging in the air to return, so Blake tried to change the subject.

“So Ruby…” Blake smiled a little to herself, recalling the amazing ability that their team leader had demonstrated back in the last village. With just a glance, Ruby had vaporized dozens of Apathy in an instant.

“Yeah, crazy right? I always knew Ruby was special but even I had no idea just  _ how _ special. I’d heard the rumors about what she’d done at beacon, defeating that dragon and even forcing Cinder to retreat, but to see it first hand is something else.” Yang nodded a few times to herself absentmindedly.

“She saved all our lives.”

“She protected everyone…” Yang’s grin faded as she glanced back to her robotic arm. The fingers tapped across the wood before she lifted it, turning the palm to look at it, feeling rather detached from the limb. 

Blake felt a twinge of guilt again at the word ‘protect’. It had almost become taboo between them over the past few days. Yang’s reaction to her offer to protect her if they ever ran into Adam again had been far from what she’d expected. Up until that point, it had felt like the rift that had formed between them had nearly been repaired. In an instant though, it seemed to have grown wider than ever.

It wasn’t fair, why couldn’t Blake make such an offer though? Why was Yang the only one allowed to protect her, to sacrifice for her. Blake would gladly give an arm, a leg, or even her life, if it meant protecting Yang.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that.” Blake reached forward to take the robotic arm in her hand once again. She did her best to keep her expression soft, to smile and keep the mood light, but Yang simply shook her head.

“Isn’t there though? She’s my younger sister Blake. I’m supposed to be there for her, to protect  _ her _ from danger, not the other way around. It isn’t even like this is the first time I’ve failed to keep her safe either.”

“It’s all of our responsibility to protect each other. We’re on a team Yang, we have to look out for one another.” Yang tore her hand away from Blake, tears started to well in her eyes as she stared at Blake, an expression of pain tearing across it.

“That’s rich coming from you, you know that? You left! time and time again you left instead of letting us help you. Every time you came back,  _ every time _ you’d promise us that we were a team, that we were all in this together, and  _ every time _ you broke that promise. How can I believe for an instant you won’t disappear again, suddenly vanish in the middle of the night for who knows how long.” Blake remembered their last fight, but this time Yang hadn’t slapped her. Instead, the girl across from her was crying, tears pouring out as she sniffled in despair. It hurt more to see her like this, to know she’d all but lost Yang’s trust, than the slap ever could. Blake ,bit her lip, trying to find the words.

“Because I love you Yang. I love you more than anything in the world and I never want to be anywhere but by your side ever again.” Blake mostly shouted these words, her self control and volume control having all but vanished under the effects of the alcohol.

Yang was stunned by the confession, she wobbled slightly in her chair as she stared through blurry eyes into Blake’s.

“You’re only saying that because you’re drunk.” Yang shook her head, lifting her arm to her face to try and wipe away the tears, but as she lowered the arm her vision was quickly filled with Blake, her body quickly getting closer to Yang’s.

It was intended to be a romantic gesture. Blake had wanted to close the distance, wrap her arms around Yang, and plant a kiss right on her lips as proof of her feelings. She’d hoped that with a single kiss, she could transfer all of the emotion she was feeling into Yang, and the pair could end this argument, rid themselves of the tension between them once and for all, and just be happy.

Instead, the dismount from her stool had been less than graceful. As Blake had slid off and extended her arms in hopes to wrap them around Yang, she’d tripped and instead fallen forward, her hands shoving Yang back as the pair tumbled down onto the ground. Yang was so shocked that she wasn’t able to stabilize herself, and she landed hard on her back with Blake on top of her. Fortunately, the alcohol all but numbed the impact, and she let out a laugh.

“Were you planning on going for a  _ trip  _ Blake? Should I wait to see you till sometime next  _ fall _ ?” Looking down as she continued to laugh, Yang could see Blake grinning drunkenly against her chest. “Comfortable down there?”

“Soft landing.” Blake mumbled a little before crawling up, letting her head rest on Yang’s shoulder instead of her chest. The pair lay, Blake holding onto Yang while Yang’s arms wrapped around her.

“Do you really mean that though? There’s a lot of different kinds of love, like the kind I feel for Ruby, or Uncle Qrow. Even Weiss and Jaune, Nora, Ren… Oscar is starting to grow on me too.” Yang smiled a little, her heart racing.

“That’s not the kind of love I mean, not completely.” Blake pushed herself up off of Yang, so that her body was hovering inches over the other girl. Yang felt her face get wet, tears dripping from Blake’s eyes as she stared down at her. “I’ve spent my entire life on the edge of the circle, keeping to the outskirts in every relationship I’ve ever been in. You were right in what you said, I’ve always run away from the people in my life when they try to get close, or if they want to protect me, but with you it’s different. I’m not afraid to open my heart up anymore, I’m not afraid to let you in, let you close, let you protect me. That works both ways though, and you can’t be afraid to let me protect you either.”

“What if…”

“Something happens? What if I lose an arm, a leg, or some other part of me to keep you safe? Then we go to Atlas and I pick out something particularly stylish to replace it, and late at night when we’re together we can look back at everything we lost, all our scars, not as defeats, but as small victories. They’ll each be a sign of our love, the damage we’ve taken, the things we’ve given up in order to keep each other safe.”

Blake shifted to the side, crawling from her position over Yang to sit beside the girl, reaching down to take the robotic hand into her own. She felt the metal, her fingers sliding across the smooth and cold surface, her face turning somber.

“I used to be terrified to look at this you know. It reminded me that I was weak, so weak that a dear friend had lost something precious to keep me safe, to make up for everything I was lacking. Something changed though, I realized that this arm isn’t a sign of our loss for being wear, it’s a sign of a victory. This arm is the reason we’re alive, the reason  _ I’m _ alive. You saved my life, and that’s all there is to it.”

“I was weak…”

“I was weak too!” Blake all but shouted this at Yang, who looked up into her eyes in shock at the rush of emotion. “Don’t forget Yang, I was there too. I was at his mercy because I couldn’t handle it, but look at us now. Adam has failed,  _ Cinder _ has failed. Everything that Salem has thrown against us, we have beaten back. Adam took your arm, but we took his power. Cinder took Pyrrha, and Penny, and Beacon from us, and now she’s  _ gone _ . We were weak because we were apart, and we’re strong now that we’re together, and I never want to be weak again.”

Yang contemplated all of this for a few minutes, staring at the arm and thinking of everything that it meant for them. After a few minutes, she let out a heavy sigh and nodded.

“You’re right.” Yang sat up slowly, her legs curling up to her chest as wiped away the tears of sadness that had started to drip out again.“I’m sorry I reacted the way I did back at the last village, it just felt wrong to need to be protected. It made me feel weak, but you’re right. On my own, that’s just what I am; weak. I’d be a lunatic if I thought I could take on all of Salem’s forces all by myself. Heck, now that Ruby is learning to use her amazing powers, I think she might be even stronger than I am at this point.”

“I remember when I first met her she was such a mess.” Blake giggled as the pair sat, thinking back on times with Ruby. “She had just tripped over all of Weiss’s belongings and was getting quite the lecture before she sneezed so hard she literally exploded.”

“I still wish I’d been there to see that. I heard about it later and thought she was just having some sort of breakdown.”

“She’s always had a good head on her shoulders. Even back at the village, she was the last person to give in to the Apathy, and even then she fought tooth and nail to keep up everyone’s spirits.” 

“Makes sense why Ozpin made he…” Yang’s high spirits faded again as she mentioned Ozpin, and she let out a sigh. “Sorry, I’m still just in a weird place I guess.”

“We all are, but just because we don’t exactly have a plan doesn’t mean we can just stop what we’re doing. Just because we can’t destroy Salem doesn’t mean we can’t take away her power just like we did with Adam.” Blake tilted Yang’s chin up, giving a hopeful smile with her cheeks still red from the alcohol. “You saw the visions, she was always on her own, using and convincing others to do as she commanded. The truth is, Salem is alone, but we’re not. We all have each other, and from now on we’ll always protect one another. Nobody else dies.”

Yang’s smile returned as she saw the confidence in Blake’s eyes.

“Your time away really changed you, ya know that?”

Blake blushed and turned away, her ears drooping a little as she pursed her lips.

“Well in what way?”

“It’s your confidence, your spirit I guess. Something like that, but you have this fire in your eyes that wasn’t there before.” It was Yang’s turn to change the direction Blake was facing. 

They stared into one another’s eyes for a few moments, before the blush on Blake started to turn a little green. 

“Er, are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine… I thi-” Blake’s eyes went wide as she clamped her hand over her mouth and she immediately stood looking around to all sides.   


“Huh? OH!” As Yang registered what was going on, she quickly put an arm around Blake and tried to rush her from room to room, shakily kicking in door after door until they found a restroom. Blake’s face was strained from using all her willpower to hold it back, but as soon as they made their way inside, there was no keeping it in any longer.

_ Blecchhhh _ . 

It was Yang’s turn to use some willpower to keep herself from vomiting. She felt a gas bubble come up, but managed to remain somewhat calm. She looked away, her hand gently massaging Blake’s back as the other arm kept her hair pulled up to avoid it dipping down into the water below. It was several minutes of puking, before the heaving steadily decreased in both rate and volume.

“Whatever happens, do not let me become a cliche and sleep in here okay?” Blake glared up, her eyes watery up as she gave Yang a miserable stare.

“I wouldn’t dream of it Blake, though you did kind of bring this on yourself you know. I think by the end of it you’d ended up drinking more than myself, maybe even Qrow.” With a giggle, Yang continued to gently massage Blake’s back as she took a few shaky breaths to try and calm her stomach. “Trying to prove somethin?”

“No, nothing like that, I just wasn’t sure what else to do. Part of me wanted to apologize for what I’d said back in the village, and part of me was just pissed off at the idea of  _ needing _ to apologize for it. After all we’d been through the two of you just seemed so content to drink away the world, so I figured I would join you.”

Adjusting herself, Blake let out a groan, and let her head tilt back against the wall. The worst of it had passed, her stomach getting out as much as it seemed it could for the time being.

“Well, we ended up talking about everything the booze was supposed to help us forget, so I don’t think Qrow knows what he’s talking about when he says it’s supposed to help bury away all our problems. Next time we drink, let’s make sure it’s for fun or in celebration, instead of being miserable with Qrow, okay?”

“ _ If _ we ever drink again. I’m not gonna lie, this is pretty terrible.” The pair chuckled, and Yang stood up slowly, extending a hand to help Blake up as the pair wobbled over to the sink. Testing the handle, she was pleased to see that even with the village empty, the water at least still ran. Blake cupped her hands and swished the water around in her mouth, before spitting it back out to try and get the taste of puke and alcohol out.

“It’s not all bad though. It feels like this is something girls our age should normally be doing. Drinking, partying, holding each other’s hair back. For a few minutes there we were just two girls playing out a dozen cliches without a care in the world.”

“Well, I still want to avoid the cliche of passing out drunk by a toilet, so let’s try and find a room and get some rest. I feel like I could sleep for a week at this point.” Blake glanced over to the toilet she’d just spent a great deal of time getting to know, and shook her head trying to dispel the memory.

“Of course.” With a smile, Yang gently wrapped an arm around Blake’s back, while the other lifted the girl up to cuddle her in Yang’s arms. Carrying her was difficult, and Yang had to stop several times to steady herself and keep her balance, but the pair eventually ascended the stairs to the hall of rooms above. Yang glanced through each room as they went, until she found a room that looked like it hadn’t been in use even when people were around.

Stepping in slowly, she made sure to be as gentle as possible setting Blake down, before slowly tucking her in beneath the covers. Blake grumbled a little as she did her best to help with the sheets and making herself comfortable. Laying back against the pillows Blake took a deep breath as her stomach felt like it was starting to cramp.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to get you some water. Try and stay comfy, don’t get up or anything okay?”

“Promise.” Blake grinned, a little more sober than she had been now that most of the alcohol in her stomach had been puked up. Yang kissed her forehead and turned to leave the room, stumbling through the door and back down the stairs to get a fresh glass from the bar to fill with water.

The entire trip to the bar and back, Yang walked through the house with a drunken grin across her face. She felt so giddy, butterflies in her stomach and an overwhelming joy filling every inch of her body.

_ “I love you Yang. I love you more than anything in the world.” _

Carrying the glass back upstairs, Yang gently opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. Approaching the bed, she set the glass of water down on the table Blake, and gently let her fingers comb through the girl’s hair.

“Did you mean what you said? I know I joked about you only saying it because you were drunk, but I want to know if it’s true.” 

Blake looked up at Yang for a few seconds trying to remember what exactly Yang was referring to. She’d said quite a bit that night, and her eyes went wide as she’d remembered the confession. It was something they’d never really talked about in depth before. The two had been  _ together _ and fooling around a few different times over the months, but neither of them had confessed in such a fashion before. Blake felt partially at fault, her constant departures no doubt made it hard for either of them to feel like they could fall in love, and given one another’s past the word itself carried a great deal of weight with it.

“I’ll admit, it might have slipped out mostly because I was drunk, but I meant every word of it. Yang Xiao-Long, I love you, through thick and thin, and never want to be without you in my life ever again.” Yang smiled, overjoyed to know that even as Blake was sobering up, she wasn’t afraid to admit her feelings. Blake frowned suddenly, looking away with a nervous expression. “Though I understand if you don’t feel the same way. It’s a serious word, and after all the stuff with Raven…”

“It’s not that.” Yang’s brow furrowed a bit as she tried to concentrate, and Blake did her best not to remark on how silly Yang looked trying to focus while she was plastered. “Can you wait here just a minute? I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Blake’s ears drooped a little, suddenly feeling more vulnerable and self conscious than she ever had in her life. She’d put her feelings out there, laid it all on the line, and Yang’s first response was to leave, even if just for a moment.

“I don’t think I can even stand, so I’ll be here whenever you get back.” Blake forced a smile, and Yang nodded before stumbling back out the door to their room, closing it behind her. Blake sat up in the bed, moving the pillows to support her back, and reached over to take a sip of the water. It certainly helped with the stomach pain she was feeling from all the vomiting, but there was an entirely different feeling stirring up her insides that the water wouldn’t be able to help with.

After a few minutes, the handle to the room jiggled, and Yang stepped back inside with her hands beside her back, sliding the door shut with a foot. She crossed over to the bed, sitting on the edge beside Blake, before moving her hands in front of her to reveal a small gift wrapped rectangular box. Blake looked at the object in confusion as Yang offered it to her, and with shaky hands, she tore the paper off and opened the box to reveal a necklace. It was a lengthy silver chain, with a small charm at the end in the shape of a heart.

“When did you… where did you get this?” Blake looked up at Yang who bit her own lip nervously.

“I bought it back when we were still in Mistral. We’d flown back and were waiting for the train, so I did a little shopping. I was hoping to give it to you whenever we got to Argus, or just whenever the time felt right, but ever since we got on the train it’s just been one thing after another.” Yang lifted the necklace out of the box, spreading it apart and looking to Blake for approval. The faunus girl smiled, lifting her hair out of the way as Yang leaned forward, her fingers fumbling with the clasp before it clicked into place, and she let it dangle down from Blake’s neck.

Blake looked down at the charm at her neck, her hand reaching up as her fingers twisted it around. She smiled wide as she looked up to Yang, each of their eyes watering up once again.

““Blake Belladonna, I can’t tell you when it happened but I fell in love with you long ago. Long before this incident at Haven, my heart has been yours. It could have happened when I was recovering from the Fall of Beacon, or it could have happened sometime during the Vytal Festival. Heck, it could’ve even been that first night at Beacon, ever since I said ‘Hello’.” Yang’s blushful cheeks were coated in tears as she shared her own feelings, confessing her own emotions to Blake.

“Yang I don’t know what to say.” Even the tiniest lingering effects left behind by the Apathy all but evaporated in that moment. Blake’s eyes kept looking between the charm, and the love of her life as they sat in the bed together

“Then don’t say anything.” Yang grinned, and in a cheesy fashion, leaned forward to kiss her. Blake’s eyes went wide and she pulled back for a moment.

“Yang I just got done..” Blake blushed turning away, remembering that not too long ago she was bent over puking, but Yang’s hand pressed gently against her jaw to turn her back towards her. Without hesitation, Yang closed the gaps, and planted a sloppy drunken kiss against Blake, who returned the favor until Yang pulled away with a bit of a sour expression.

“Alright yeah, maybe you had a good point.” Yang stuck out her tongue and tried to wipe off the taste that lingered on it with her hands, before looking to Blake who couldn’t stop giggling. “Hey, laugh all you want, it was completely worth it.”

“Well, I promise you that as soon as I can walk in a straight line again, I’m going to freshen up, brush my teeth  _ several _ times, and give you a proper kiss.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Yang grinned as she watched Blake constantly stare down at the locket, loving every second of the adoration she held for the necklace.

“I hope it’s not the only thing you’ll hold.” Blake did her best to try and wiggle her eyebrows in a seductive manner, but all she did was constantly raise them as if she was surprised. Yang lowered her head and did her best to stifle her laughter, before crawling across Blake to the other half of the bad, and crawling under the covers.

“Of course not Blake.” Yang pat gently beside her, and Blake scooted back down so she was laying, and did her best to wiggle across the bed to Yang. She felt the warmth of the other girl as the pair crawled together, and Yang wrapped an arm around her waist as they felt their eyes start to flutter closed, the alcohol tiring them out on top of their exhaustion over the past week.

“I love you Yang.” Blake grinned into the pillow, the words tickling her all over as she spoke them out loud once again. It felt amazing to say them, but it felt even better to hear them.

“I love you too Blake, sweet dreams.” The pair both dozed off, all the emotions of the day having been worth it for this moment in time that neither of them wished would ever end.


End file.
